Newb to Motorcycles...need opinions

Dirt bikes are good for the basics of shifting and brake and gas but it can bring some bad habits if you don't pay attention when switching (like turning, what brake to use, etc).

Just go get a cheap POS street bike and take an MSF course. I was dumb and taught myself, but really take an MSF course, it teaches you ton of great information and you don't need experience to do them. You will likely drop your first bike regardless.
 
No I'm saying go find a buddies dirt bike and try again before you spend any money learning how to do it in an open field with grass is gonna be a lot easier than trying on the road with traffic and everything else that's going on
 
Rip on a Dirtbike for a long time before you think you can ride. There is zero room for error on the road. Traffic, telephone poles, and asphalt are nowhere near as forgiving as dirt.

Remember this... As soon as you are comfortable on any bike you should be scared for your life.
 
Cherokeekid88 said:
So I should just give up on everything because I tried it once and it didn't work out?
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So, one time & you may be gay? Lol... J/K


Just buy a bike and a good helmet, good leathers & go riding the back roads. You will never learn anything unless you get started...
 
Edit: I take it back, my first bike in fact was not a dirt bike, it was this gem, a 197? Honda express 50cc POS. I guess techically it's a chopper since the gas tank had been relocated from its normal position to bring bungeed to the rear rack. It would top out at a whopping 25mph downhill with a tailwind. I got it off of somebody on this board on a trade for some bald 33" boggers that I had haha. Damn thing cost me a separated shoulder that still looks all jacked up to this day!
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GotWood said:
I have owned and raced both dirt and street bikes and they are different. On a street bike, if I want to go left I push right. Won't work in the woods on a dirt bike.
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Sure it will, you're just not going fast enough :flipoff2::wheel:
 
jeepinmatt said:
Sure it will, you're just not going fast enough :flipoff2::wheel:
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What he said, if you go street speeds on a dirtbike or are tooling around a parking lot on a street bike, they handle just the same. The difference in trail between a dirtbike and a sportbike is not much. We aren't talking raked choppers here...
 
witchdoctor said:
you have misunderstood the point of a dirtbike. the point of dirt bike is not because of the size (small) but because of what can be done on a dirtbike. those classes don't do very much in the way of how to handle a bike during evasive manuvers. how to handle a bike when it is doing shit it aint suppose to do. riding on dirt tracks will give you those skills,putting around a parking lot wont. and the statement that riding dirt bikes and street bikes is different tells me you don't have a lot of experence on both.
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Actually I have vast experience on both types of bikes. The way you steer a motorcycle and a dirty bike are totally different. I can't count on my hands how many riders I come across that say "it's cool I used to ride a dirt bike, and end up looking like a complete squid. Actually those classes do teach you how to panic stop, avoid crap in the road and proper body position.
 
Echs332000 said:
Actually I have vast experience on both types of bikes. The way you steer a motorcycle and a dirty bike are totally different. I can't count on my hands how many riders I come across that say "it's cool I used to ride a dirt bike, and end up looking like a complete squid. Actually those classes do teach you how to panic stop, avoid crap in the road and proper body position.
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well whose to argue with vast experience. hell i still turn left to go left and turn right to go right,don't make a shit if i am on dirt or pavement and it works.
 
no matter what, take the MSF beginner class, i took it twenty years ago as well as a couple MSF ERC classes, the things i've picked up from them have saved my ass numerous times. Take the class BEFORE riding your own way on the street and developing bad habits that are hard to break. Dirt riding is good for devoping throttle/brake control in low traction situations, but the MSF classes teach you survive with cars, trucks and texting while driving teenagers around you(no matter what you say, trees in the woods don't just jump out in front of you like a soccer mom in a SUV will).
For bike selection, go for smaller and reliable for a first bike, but one that will still keep up with traffic, buying a rocket just because every 18-24 squid you know has one tends to be a fast trip to the hospital.
 
since everyone is bitching about the hows and the why's - I'ma gonna tell you what:

Suzuki SV650. Excellent weight, nice riding position, good power and delivery. Best part is you can get them for $2000-4000 with low miles and in excellent condition.
 
Ill add this too it, youre going to crash, its just part of the learning curve. Im a fan of learning on a dirtbike because of that, well that and for the basics and just getting use to the clutch and brakes and what not but really unless youre wanting to ride fast then those "bad habits" you do in the dirt wont really carry over much too the streets. I started out on a cbr600 and the way i rode on it is a lot different than my electra glide i have now. It all just comes down to seat time and getting comfortable with your bike but not soo much that you quit paying attention to everything else around you.
 
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